Download Jones and Waggoner were on to something in 1888.

The message and opportunity Seventh-day Adventism lost in 1888
The good news is that YHVH will revisit Adventists with the 1888 message, and some (myself included)
would argue that this visitation has already begun. If you are not familiar with the message of Alonzo T.
Jones and Elliot J. Waggoner in the late 19th century, and what they were up against, you owe it to yourself
to read “Skeletons in the SDA Closet of 1888” by Norman Bradley. He has been led by the Almighty to dig
up the information long lost from the eyes of honest examination and inquiry and if this message is now
given the voice it was denied in 1888, the message of YHVH will be unstoppable and will sweep not only
Adventism, but the world. However, please let it be known; I do not expect the Adventist denomination
to have a change of heart or to recant or repent of their deceit. The sweeping changes will be among the
rank and file, the common man, not those in leadership. Someone else said it best…
At that time the man from Galilee answered and said, “I thank thee, O Father, Sovereign of heaven
and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto
babes.” Matthew 11:25.
I will not try to re-do the study that Elder Bradley has already so graciously presented, but I will
unabashedly use some of the quotes his research uncovered in an effort to put the keystone of this
message back into place. In fact, I highly recommend that you read Elder Bradley’s “Skeletons in the SDA
Closet of 1888” before you read this study as you will get a more complete picture of not only what SDA’s
lost in 1888, but also of what I am trying to accomplish with my additional thoughts on this subject. Any
quotes here from A. T. Jones or E. J. Waggoner will have come from Bradley’s study. In a nut shell, here
is what happened in 1888 and the subsequent years.
1. Jones and Waggoner were given a controversial message to present at the General Conference
(GC) in Minneapolis in 1888.
2. Ellen G. White fully endorsed their message.
3. In a GC pre-session, the law in Galatians 4:8-10 was discussed, the leaders refusing to accept Jones
and Waggoner’s position on this passage that these were not YHVH’s feasts, rather they were the
pagan feasts and heathen observances they had practiced before their conversion.
4. In the GC regular session, the leaders refused to accept Jones and Waggoner’s position on
Righteousness by Faith, later presenting the Evangelical version of Righteousness by Faith which
has resulted in no gains in righteousness or in faith and no outpouring of the Latter Rain.
5. As early as 1896, Mrs. White said that the Father could have returned “ere this” if the message of
1888 had been received.
6. Mrs. White openly rebuked the leadership (and named names) for years afterwards, calling for their
repentance (which eventually caused her banishment to Australia).
7. The misinterpretation of Galatians 4:8-10 by the Conference leaders in 1888 led them to
misinterpret Colossians 2:14-16. Mistakes that are perpetuated to this day.
I will address each of these as briefly as I can (since the first 6 are already examined at length in Elder
Bradley’s study). What I intend to do is to shed more light on the fact that because the leaders in 1888
blew the interpretation of Galatians 4, they were practically forced to misinterpret Colossians 2, and when
the evidence is examined, they dishonestly interpreted BOTH. But my primary goal is to show the reader
the marriage between #3 and #4 above. The reason the leaders scoffed at Righteousness by Faith (as
presented by Jones and Waggoner) is because they scoffed at Jones and Waggoner’s interpretation of the
law in Galatians 4. And if the law in Galatians 4 had been honestly examined, our early denomination
would have received the heavenly version of Righteousness by Faith by default preventing them from
adopting the weak, toothless and inept Evangelical version.
The suppression of the work of Jones and Waggoner.
Lessons on Faith, a private compilation of articles and sermons from Jones, and Waggoner, excluded Jones’
commentary on Galatians 4. After speaking to one of the compliers, that commentary was not available to
them at the time of publication, so there was on wrong doing. However, when the Pacific Press (SDA
publishing house under the direction of the SDA General Conference) republished and edited E. J.
Waggoner’s book, Glad Tidings, a portion of chapter 10 is missing from. Why?
Because the evidence provided by these men proves that the law in Galatians 4:8-10 is not the Hebrew
Feasts or the “ceremonial law”, but the pagan holidays. Jones and Waggoner both argued that the feasts
are statutes which are part of the Law of YHVH, that these were not part of the “ceremonial law”. Let me
show you for yourself before you read the words of these intrepid men of righteousness.
Howbeit then, when ye knew not YHVH, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods.
But now, after that ye have known YHVH, or rather are known of YHVH, how turn ye again to the
weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?
Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years.
I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain. Galatians 4:8-11
Without reading another paragraph, I can prove to you that these “beggarly elements” are not the Father’s
festivals, but the observations of their previously observed pagan calendar. At issue are the days, months,
times and years. Yes, there are “days” that the Father commands us to observe. Yes, there are years (land
Sabbath years, and the year of Jubilee) that the Father commands us to observe. The word “times” is
loosely translated from Greek to Hebrew as “appointed times” which in Hebrew is another name for the
feasts, so yes, the Father commanded His children to observe these “times appointed”. However, please
find for me in the Torah a command from YHVH to observe a month (and that is exactly what the Greek
word [mane] in Galatians 4:10 means). There are no observed months commanded in Scripture, only the
heathens had entire calendar months dedicated to the gods or set apart for certain religious ceremonies.
Regardless of what you were taught, an honest examination here should end all arguments.
Please understand. The Galatians were heathens. They practiced paganism, they knew not the Mighty
One of Israel; they knew not the Hebrew Scriptures and they knew not the law of YHVH. Paul steps into
their lives and shows them a better way, and they convert to the faith of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, which,
by the way, was the same faith practiced by the writers of the New Testament. Newsflash! Abraham may
have lived many generations before Moses, but he observed the SAME commandments, statutes and
judgments later given to Moses on Mt. Sinai. In the following verse, YHVH is speaking of Abraham…
2
“Because that Abraham obeyed My voice, and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and
My laws.” Genesis 26:5
“We need the faith of Abraham in our churches today, to lighten the darkness that gathers around them,
shutting out the sweet sunlight of God’s love and dwarfing spiritual growth. Age will never excuse us
from obeying God. Our faith should be prolific of good works [Righteousness by Faith], for faith without
works is dead. Every duty performed, every sacrifice made … brings an exceeding great reward. In the
very act of duty, God speaks and gives His blessing.” Testimonies, Vol. 4, p. 145
Later, after Paul had moved on, the Galatians started waffling in their faith, returning to their beggarly
elements. The question is this. What beggarly elements was Paul referring to, the statutes of YHVH or
their former heathen religion? I REALLY hope that you are not as blind as our former (and current) SDA
leaders, thinking that these gentiles, who had never observed the Father’s commandments, statutes or
judgments before would somehow “return” to the law of Moses and festival observance or that Paul
would call the law he loved (Acts 24:14, Romans 2:13, 3:31, 7:12) a weak and beggarly element.
This is precisely the argument Jones and Waggoner brought to the table. How can these gentiles return to
something they never possessed until after their conversion? Why would Paul chastise these people for
observing the statutes and feasts that he taught and observed throughout his ministry? When Paul is
connected at all with a feast, he is either hurrying to keep it, is keeping it, or has kept it already, all well
after Calvary.
Acts 18:21 [AD 54] => Unspecified feast, probably Passover as this was the most highly attended feast.
1 Corinthians 5:7-8 [AD 59] and Acts 20:6 [AD 60] => Passover/Unleavened Bread.
1 Corinthians 16:8 [AD 59] and Acts 20:16 [AD 60] => Pentecost
Acts 27:9 [AD 62] => Day of Atonement.
“At Philippi Paul tarried to keep the Passover. Only Luke remained with him, the other members of the
company passing on to Troas to await him there. The Philippians were the most loving and true hearted
of the Apostles converts, and during the eight days of the feast he enjoyed peaceful and happy communion
with them.” Acts of the Apostles, p. 390-391. My margin says this event took place 29 years after the
crucifixion.
Some say that Paul was not returning to Jerusalem to keep the feasts, that he was merely an
evangelist who liked big crowds. Paul wanted to--but could not go to Jerusalem this particular year
because of a plot on his life (Acts of the Apostles, p. 389). So, at Philippi--a place that did not have and
still does not have an Israelite synagogue--Paul kept Passover and Unleavened Bread. If the only reason
Paul was going to Jerusalem was to preach the good news to unconverted Hebrews, but not to keep the
feasts himself, why then does Paul still keep these two feasts with his Gentile converts without a single
Israelite in sight? By keeping the feasts named in the covenant (Exodus 23:14-15) in a place where no
Israelite could witness or judge his behavior, Paul, displaying spiritual integrity, still obeyed the statutes of
YHVH. Why?
Paul was a Torah observant, feast keeping son of Israel, a nation that had been given the law to share with
all other nations as a way to lead them to Almighty Yah. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and
heard, and seen in me, do, Philippians 4:9, (See also Philippians 3:17, and I Corinthians 4:16). Exodus 12:49,
Leviticus 24:22 and Numbers 15:16 teach us that there is only ONE law for both the Israelite and the
stranger (gentile) who joins himself to Israel. If Paul had taught his gentile converts contrary to the law
given to Israel, he would have been considered a false teacher, with no light in him (Isaiah 8:20).
3
Here now is an excerpt of A. T. Jones’ thoughts on Galatians 4:8-10 [which was not discovered
when compiling Studies in Galatians, near the end of the book, Lessons on Faith].
“The Galatians, having been Gentiles, knew not God, and, accordingly, were in bondage to them which by
nature were no gods at all. To them the gospel had been preached. They had believed the gospel, and so
were delivered from bondage…”
Jones went on, saying that the Pharisees, “had come among the Galatians, with their perverted gospel,
which was not the gospel at all, had confused them, and turned them from faith to works; from the Spirit
to the flesh, as the means of justification, and the hope of their salvation.” (Galatians 3:1-3)
… “Having been turned from the Spirit to the flesh, it was only to be expected that they would do this;
seeing that the ways of the heathen were more satisfying to their flesh than the ways of the Pharisees could
be, because these were the things to which their flesh had formerly been accustomed.
… “The apostle had just stated that before they knew God, they were in bondage unto them that were no
gods, and now, having been turned from God, they turned AGAIN to those things, and AGAIN to that
bondage. … And, as seen in the former lesson, these elements … were ‘the elements of the world’ …
“Among these things in which they had formerly done service unto them which by nature are no gods,
were the observances of certain days, and months, and times, and years: the very things of the heathen
which the Lord, even in ancient times, had condemned. [Quotes Deuteronomy 18:9-14.]” Review &
Herald, 1900, #20
Here now is an excerpt of E. J. Waggoner’s thoughts on Galatians 4:8-10 that have been removed
from chapter 10 of his book, Good Tidings.
“‘Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years.’ This was an evidence of their bondage. ‘Ah,’ says
some one, ‘they had gone back to the old Jewish Sabbath; that was the bondage against which Paul would
warn us!’ … Anybody who reads the Epistle to the Galatians, and thinks as he reads, must know that the
Galatians were not Jews. They had been converted from heathenism. Therefore, previous to their
conversion they had never had anything to do with any religious custom that was practiced by the Jews.
They had nothing whatever in common with the Jews. Consequently, when they turned again to the ‘weak
and beggarly elements’ to which they were willing again to be in bondage, it is evident that they were not
going back to any Jewish practice. They were going back to their old heathen customs.” Elliot J.
Waggoner, 1900, Good Tidings, p. 175
To show you the deceitfulness of our SDA leaders, read the account preserved in Norman Bradley’s
exposé. They refuse to admit what is ink on the page, insisting that the calendar events that Paul calls
beggarly elements are the set feasts, the appointed times in Leviticus 23. Here is evidence of their folly…
“Days and months. Paul here refers to the seven ceremonial Sabbaths and the new moons of the
ceremonial system.” SDA Bible Commentary, Vol. 6, p. 967
Ink on the page, it says months, not new moon. The Greek word [mane] used does not mean new moon, it
means month. I must ask again, what month in Scripture is set apart for the worship of YHVH? Again,
why would Paul TEACH his gentile converts to observe the feasts of YHVH and later call them weak and
beggarly, and chastise the Galatians for the Torah observance he had taught them?
4
Sister White supported the 1888 message rejected by the church leaders.
After the 1888 debacle, an angel guide showed Ellen what had happened behind the scenes. This is a
short excerpt of what she was told regarding the leaders who stood against the message of Jones and
Waggoner: “They are intoxicated with the spirit of resistance and know not any more than a drunkard
what spirit controls their words or their actions.” 1888 Material, p 278
“An unwillingness to yield up preconceived opinions, and to accept this truth, lay at the foundation of a
large share of the opposition manifested at Minneapolis against the Lord’s message through Brethren E.J.
Waggoner and A.T. Jones. By exciting that opposition Satan succeeded in shutting away from our people,
in a great measure, the special power of the Holy Spirit that God longed to impart to them. The enemy
prevented them from obtaining that efficiency which might have been theirs in carrying the truth to the
world, as the apostles proclaimed it after the day of Pentecost. The light that is to lighten the whole earth
with its glory was resisted, and by the action of our own brethren has been in a great degree kept away
from the world.” Ellen White, Selected Messages, Vol. 1, pp. 234-235
“We may have to remain here in this world because of insubordination many more years, as did the
children of Israel; but … His people should not add sin to sin by charging God with the consequence of
their own wrong course of action.” Ellen White, Letter 184, 1901 (Evangelism, p. 696)
Here is a small sample of some of the unsolicited support Ellen White had for the message of
Jones and Waggoner, regarding the statutes and festival observance…
“The great statute-book [re: the Scriptures] is truth; and truth only; . . . Satan claimed to be able to present
laws which were better than God’s statutes and judgments, and he was expelled from heaven.” Review &
Herald, 6-17-1890
“In consequence of continual transgression, the moral law was repeated in awful grandeur from Sinai. …
These statutes were explicitly given to guard the ten commandments. They were not shadowy types to
pass away with the death of Christ. They were to be binding upon men in every age as long as time should
last. These commands were enforced by the power of the moral law, and they clearly and definitely
explained that law....” Review & Herald, 5-6-1875 Something that guards the 10 commandments,
cannot BE the 10 Commandments.
“The Lord has plainly specified the duty of those He has created..... ‘Thou shalt therefore keep the
commandments, and the statutes, and the judgments, which I commanded thee this day, to do them.’. . . “
Review & Herald, 6-6-1899 Notice she doesn’t say Jews, but “those He has created”.
“God is now testing and proving His people. Character is being developed. Angels are weighing moral
worth, and keeping a faithful record of all the acts of the children of men. Among God’s professed people
are corrupt hearts; but they will be tested and proved. That God who reads the hearts of everyone, will
bring to light hidden things of darkness where they are often least suspected, that stumbling blocks which
have hindered the progress of truth may be removed, and God have a clean and holy people to declare His
statutes and judgments.
“The Captain of our salvation leads His people on step by step, purifying and fitting them for
translation, and leaving in the rear those who are disposed to draw off from the body, who are not willing
to be led, and are satisfied with their own righteousness. ‘If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness,
how great is that darkness!’ No greater delusion can deceive the human mind than that which leads men to
indulge a self-confident spirit, to believe that they are right and in the light, when they are drawing away
from God’s people, and their cherished light is darkness.” Testimonies, Vol. 1, pp. 332-333
5
We are not programmed to see the statutes because they have been buried, just as the Sabbath was buried
by Catholicism. However, prophecy says that they will be remembered at the end of time. Now is that
time. Read Malachi 4:4-6…
Remember ye the law of Moses My servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb [another name for
Mt. Sinai] for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments.
Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of YHVH:
And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers,
lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.
“The instructions given to Moses for ancient Israel, with their sharp, rigid outlines, are to be studied and
obeyed by the people of God today.” SDA Bible Commentary, Vol. 1, p. 1103.
“God has not changed. He is as particular and exact in His requirements now as He was in the days of
Moses.” SDA Bible Commentary, Vol. 1, p. 1111. Speaking of Moses, reread the end-time prophecy in
Malachi 4, above.
“The statutes of the Lord are to be reverenced and obeyed. Review & Herald, 12-20-1898 She doesn’t
say which of the 613 statutes, so logic alone tells us that all of them are to be reverenced and obeyed.
“God will not take into His kingdom and give eternal life to those who will not come under His laws and
statutes in this life.” Signs of the Times, 9-8-1887 I didn’t say this was an issue of salvation; EGW does.
“I saw that God had children who do not see and keep the Sabbath. They have not rejected the light upon
it. And at the commencement of the time of trouble, we were filled with the Holy Ghost as we went forth
and proclaimed the Sabbath more fully. This enraged the churches and nominal Adventists, as they could
not refute the Sabbath truth. And at this time God’s chosen all saw clearly that we had the truth, and they
came out and endured the persecution with us. I saw the sword, famine, pestilence, and great confusion in
the land. The wicked thought that we had brought the judgments upon them, and they rose up and took
counsel to rid the earth of us, thinking that then the evil would be stayed.” Early Writings, p. 33
Adventists, even nominal ones, have already accepted the Sabbath. What Sabbath message could possibly
incite rage among Adventists? Please note that this is an end time event, and the ones with the true
Sabbath reform message are filled with the Father’s Spirit, and that the Adventists could NOT REFUTE
it. Please also note that other truth seekers came OUT [of the SDA church, as well as other churches] and
endured persecution “with us”. Sister Ellen numbers herself in this group. The last final conflict is not
going to be about Sabbath vs. sunday; it is going to be about the annual Sabbaths and the true Sabbath vs.
the tradition of men. What does she mean “Sabbath more fully”? Let her answer this question....
“The minds of the people, blinded and debased by slavery and heathenism, were not prepared to
appreciate fully the far-reaching principles of God’s ten precepts. That the obligations to the Decalogue
might be more fully understood and enforced, additional precepts were given, illustrating and applying the
principles of the Ten Commandments.” Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 310.
Here is an example of a statute illustrating or amplifying the fourth commandment....
“Again the people were reminded of the sacred obligation of the Sabbath. Yearly feasts were
appointed, . . . The object of these regulations was stated: they proceeded from no exercise of mere
arbitrary sovereignty; all were given for the good of Israel.
6
“These laws were to be recorded by Moses, and carefully treasured as the foundation of the national
law, and, with the ten precepts which they were given to illustrate, the condition of the fulfillment of
God’s promises to Israel.” Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 311. See Leviticus 23.
“At these yearly assemblies the hearts of old and young would be encouraged in the service of God, while
the association of the people from the different quarters of the land would strengthen the ties that bound
them to God and to one another. Well would it be for the people of God at the present time to have a
Feast of Tabernacles--a joyous commemoration of the blessings of God to them. As the children of Israel
celebrated the deliverance that God had wrought for their fathers, and His miraculous preservation of
them during their journeyings from Egypt, so should we gratefully call to mind the various ways He has
devised for bringing us out from the world, and from the darkness of error, into the precious light of His
grace and truth.” Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 540 She was not talking about campmeeting. Tabernacles
is a fixed date feast beginning on the 15th day of the seventh lunar month. Leviticus 23:34, 39-41
You see, Mrs. White never spoke against the feasts or against the statutes, what some mistakenly call the
ceremonial law. In fact, she says that statute observance (which includes the feasts) is an issue of salvation!
What is the genuine “Righteousness by Faith”?
And why hasn’t the Righteousness by Faith taught by Adventism resulted in the Latter Rain being poured
out? Simple. The Father rewards simple obedience to His laws, not the observance of the deceitful
doctrines of vain and carnal men. Or as one conference official put it, “…if we say amen to this we will
have to say amen to that…” So they refused to accept either.
The REAL Righteousness by Faith is that we CAN overcome sin, and we can CONTINUE to live without
sin. This is the Righteousness by Faith taught in Scripture. The Evangelical version of Righteousness by Faith is
found in Hebrews 11:1…
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
In this version, we HOPE for salvation, we have no evidence that we are saved, other than what we read
or are told, but we have nothing concrete, it is nebulous warm fuzzy feeling. Interestingly, even though
there are several texts following along this same line of thinking, the genuine version of Righteousness by
Faith is also found in the NT. Here are a few examples…
But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully;
Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the
ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers,
for manslayers,
For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for
perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine; I Timothy 1:8-10
The law was not made for a righteous man because the righteous man is not BREAKING the law!
Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as He [Elohim in
context] is righteous.
He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. …
Whosoever is born of Elohim doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin,
because he is born of Elohim.
7
In this the children of Elohim are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not
righteousness is not of Elohim, neither he that loveth not his brother. I John 3:7-10
I think this speaks for itself.
The man from Galilee said “Go and sin no more” twice during his ministry, John 5:14 and 8:11. He knew
that obedience to the law was righteousness, and the way to live without sin was to live within the law (in
other words, to obey). Simple really. The reality of it is this. The law does not apply to you if you don’t
break it. When you don’t break the law you are considered righteous. Period.
In Habakkuk and Deuteronomy we see evidence of the REAL Righteousness by Faith.
And He [YHVH] said, I will hide my face from them, I will see what their end shall be: for they are a
very froward generation, children in whom is no faith. Deuteronomy 32:20
Froward is translated from a Hebrew word meaning perverse or fraudulent. See Deuteronomy 32:5.
Those with “faith” are not forward, perverse or fraudulent, they are righteous.
Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him [because he is wicked]: but the just shall live by
his faith. Habakkuk 2:4. To understand the context, read verses 5-13. This is the supreme definition of
Righteousness by Faith.
The Hebrew word translated as “just” according to Strong’s Concordance means lawful or righteous
(man). In order to be called “lawful” that means one must KEEP the law. Were the many men in
Scripture who were called righteous, a) sinful, b) actively sinning, c) actively overcoming sin or d) standing
without sin before YHVH? The answer is c and d. Being an overcomer does not mean one has never
sinned, it means that one is now sinless because he has overcome his natural tendencies.
And how does Scripture reveal that one can “live”?
And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not,
neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but
by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of YHVH doth man live. Deuteronomy 8:3. See
Matthew 4:4. The statutes, including the feasts, came out of the mouth of YHVH.
But Jeremiah said, They shall not deliver thee. Obey, I beseech thee, the voice of YHVH, which I speak
unto thee: so it shall be well unto thee, and thy soul shall live. Jeremiah 38:20
Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall
surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul. Ezekiel 3:21
Hath walked in my statutes, and hath kept my judgments, to deal truly; he is just, he shall surely live,
saith the Sovereign YHVH.
Yet say ye, Why? doth not the son bear the iniquity of the father? When the son hath done that which is
lawful and right, and hath kept all my statutes, and hath done them, he shall surely live.
But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do
that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die.
Because he considereth, and turneth away from all his transgressions that he hath committed, he shall
surely live, he shall not die. Ezekiel 18:9, 19, 21, 28
8
For thus saith YHVH unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live: Amos 5:4
Ye shall therefore keep My statutes, and My judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in them: I am
YHVH. Leviticus 18:5. See also Deuteronomy 6:24, Deuteronomy 10:13, Nehemiah 9:13-14,
Nehemiah 9:29, Ezekiel 20:11-13, Ezekiel 33:12-13, Ezekiel 33:15-19, and Amos 5:14.
The counterfeit Righteousness by Faith is accepting that someone else’s sinlessness as propitiation for your
sins (this is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen). The genuine version of
Righteousness by Faith is YOU, the sinner, having the faith that YOU can overcome sin in this life. How is
this accomplished? It is a gift from YHVH.
Behold, the days come, saith YHVH, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with
the house of Judah:
Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to
bring them out of the land of Egypt; which My covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto
them, saith YHVH:
But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith YHVH, I
will put My law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their Elohim, and they
shall be My people. Jeremiah 31:31-33
The new covenant is identical to the first (or old covenant) in every detail except for one. Instead of being
written on stone and parchment, the new covenant is written on our hearts, see Jeremiah 31:31-33 above;
and Ezekiel 11:19-20, Ezekiel 36:26-27; Hebrews 8:7-10.
Most folks stop reading once they get to Ezekiel 11:19 and Ezekiel 36:26. Someday you should try
reading the verse after each of these verses. Today is a good day if you have never done so…
And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart
out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh: [Keep reading]
That they may walk in My statutes, and keep Mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be My
people, and I will be their Elohim. Ezekiel 11:19-20
A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony
heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. [Keep reading]
And I will put My spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes, and ye shall keep My
judgments, and do them. Ezekiel 36:26-27
Isn’t it ironic that the people who believe that they are no longer under the Old Covenant (called the old
dispensation in Adventism), believe that they no longer have to keep the law found in the statutes, yet
Jeremiah 31, Ezekiel 11 and 36 reveal that this heart transplant that comes with the New Covenant will
CAUSE them to walk in and keep the law AND the statutes? The feasts are included in the statutes.
Everybody wants this heart transplant, but some don’t want to obey Yah’s laws. Sorry, but with the
former you get the latter.
When one goes about divorcing parts of the Torah from the Creator’s law [the word Torah is translated as
“law” in the OT], one invites the rebuke of the Author of those laws:
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But ye are departed out of the way; ye have caused many to stumble at the law; ye have corrupted the
covenant of Levi, saith YHVH of hosts.
Therefore have I also made you contemptible and base before all the people, according as ye have not
kept My ways, but have been partial in the law [Torah]. Malachi 2:8-9.
“God has given us probationary time in order that it may be made manifest whether we will be loyal,
obedient children, rendering obedience to His commandments, His statutes, and His laws, or whether we
will persist in following a course in disobedience, and prove ourselves unworthy of eternal life.” Ellen
White, Review & Herald, 10-9-1894
If the General Conference in 1888 had said amen to the fact that the law in Galatians 4 is NOT the Mosaic
law, they would have later said amen to the keeping of the statutes (which include the feasts), then they
would have received the genuine message of Righteousness by Faith. But they would not say amen to the
former, so they refused to say amen to the latter. Instead, they received a lifeless form. Read II Timothy
3:1-7, then the study Skeletons in the SDA Closet of 1888, by Norman Bradley and recognize the many
likenesses this text offers in describing the men who refused to listen to Jones and Waggoner.
Adventism rejected the truth in Galatians 4, so they were forced to misinterpret Colossians 2.
Here are EIGHT Mistakes Adventists have made with Colossians 2:14-17. Without any evidence,
Adventists assume…
1.
… that the phrase handwriting of ordinances means the Law of Moses, or the “Ceremonial Law.”
2.
… that the Law of Moses is against us, contrary to us, i.e. Deuteronomy 31:26, Ezekiel 20:25.
3.
... that Paul was saying to not let fellow believers (including himself) judge you.
4.
… that in Col 2:16, Paul did NOT nail the clean/unclean flesh statute (Leviticus 11 and
Deuteronomy 14:3-21) to the cross even though they use this very verse to believe…
5.
… that Paul nailed the festival Sabbaths (and the new moon observance which tracked the festival
calendar) to the cross.
6.
… that the phrase “Sabbath days” means the ceremonial or annual Sabbaths.
7.
…that Colossians 2 says the meat and drink, holydays, new moons, and ceremonial Sabbaths were
shadows of things to come. They all met anti-type at the crucifixion.
8.
…that no one will discover their bad grammar—immediately below.
Some try to nail the “ordinances” to the cross because Passover is an ordinance (Exodus 12:12-14). This
argument fails when you realize that the verb is singular not plural. If you presented a school paper that
said “The ordinances was nailed to the cross,” you would have been penalized for bad grammar, yet this is
precisely what many are doing. They are forcing their theology onto the text. Please note also that “of
ordinances” is a prepositional phrase and cannot be the subject of the verb. The “handwriting” was nailed
to the cross and it was the “handwriting” that was against us. This is the handwritten record of our sin
(made by our recording angel) that is “nailed” when we repent.
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Here’s another problem: notice the pronoun, and took it out of the way, nailing it to His cross. If the
“ordinances” were in reference here, Paul would have said “and took them out of the say, nailing them to
his cross.” Please read Colossians 2:14-17 again before continuing.
Rebuttals to the above listed misinterpretations and SDA’s poor examination of the evidence...
1. The phrase “handwriting of ordinances” is translated from Cheirographon tois dogmasine and does not
appear anywhere else in Scripture. We have no second witness. It does not mean the Law of Moses or the
ceremonial law because the phrase “law of Moses” is in the Greek Old Testament, (the Septuagint) many
times and Cheirographon tois dogmasine is never used. Also, the Greek word for law (nomos) does not appear
anywhere in the whole book of Colossians. However, from archeological discoveries scholars have
learned that this phrase is a business term meaning, Bond or Certificate of debt with its requirements. It is
an IOU. In the first century, a bill was written on a clay tablet. When it was paid in full, a nail or spike
was driven into it, breaking the tablet, canceling the record of debt. What record of debt is recorded
against you in heaven? What debt that you can never repay would you like to have blotted out? Psalm
51:1, Psalm 51:9, Isaiah 43:25, Isaiah 44:22. Peter agrees…Acts 3:19.
2. The Law of Moses is not against us....it is a witness against us. Every law, including the Decalogue is a
witness against you if you transgress against it. A law points out our lack. Observing the statutes is for
our good. Deuteronomy 6:24, Deuteronomy 10:13, Nehemiah 9:13. Observing any righteous law is
always in our best interest. It is not legalism. It is called obedience. Legalism means doing what is right.
If you disagree, perhaps you prefer to go down the path of illegalism?
3. Paul was saying not to let the false teachers with their vain precepts judge the service of the Colossians
(which Paul had taught them). Please see the warnings found in Col. 2:4, 8, 16, 18 and all of verses 20-22.
This is better understood if the scolar-added italicized words (days in verse 16 and is in verse 17) are
removed. Scholars say that the line “Which are a shadow of things to come” is a parenthetical statement,
meaning that if you put it in parentheses that it will be better understood. Let no man therefore judge you in
meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath (which are a shadow of things to come),
but the body of Christ. Do not let anyone OTHER than the body of righteous believers judge you.
4. Do you think Paul, a Pharisee, would tear off a part of the Law of Moses? Matthew 5:17, Think not that
I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. Destroying one jot or tittle of the
Torah would make Paul (or anyone else) a false teacher, Isaiah 8:20--To the Law [Torah] and to the testimony
[of the prophets], if they speak not according to this word, there is no light in them. This word law (nomos) is the
Greek equivalent of the Hebrew word Torah, the books Moses wrote. Fulfilled means he came to show us
how it was to be successfully observed, not destroyed. Since Paul did not nail the clean/unclean laws to
the cross, neither did he nail the “ceremonial law” to the cross. It is intellectually dishonest to believe
otherwise. He either nailed both or neither.
5. Passover will be observed in “heaven,” Mark 14:22-25. The Spirit still has not fallen in full measure
upon believers (Pentecost). Judgment (Day of Atonement) is still not complete. The final harvest of souls
(Feast of Tabernacles) still has not taken place. The new moons will be observed in the new earth, Isaiah
66:22-23. How did Paul nail anything to the stake when type has not met antitype? Paul continued to
keep the feasts well after the Crucifixion: Acts 18:21, 20:16, 27:9, I Corinthians 5:7-8, and 16:8.
6. In every other place in the NT that “Sabbath days” is used as a phrase it refers to the weekly Sabbath.
(Matthew 12:5, 12:10, 12:12, Mark 3:4, Luke 4:31, 6:2, 6:9, and Acts 17:2). Why would Colossians 2 be
the exception? Fact is, days is in italics--therefore is added text and should be immediately discarded. It
should read as Sabbaths. (Note: The terms ceremonial Sabbath and annual Sabbath are foreign to Scripture.)
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Paul was actually referring to several Old Testament passages (I Chronicles 23:31, II Chronicles 2:4,
8:13, 31:3, Nehemiah 10:33, Ezekiel 45:17 and Hosea 2:11) where the three different appointments in
time are listed together:--annual feasts days, monthly new moons, and weekly Sabbaths. If Paul was
referring to the annual Sabbaths, he was needlessly repeating himself. Feast days, new moons, feast days.
Regarding this passage in Colossians, Dr. William Richardson, then chair of the Dept of Religion,
Andrew’s University said, “The implication is that the Sabbath being described is the WEEKLY
SABBATH...when Paul here refers to the ‘Sabbath...[days],’ if he meant the ceremonial Sabbaths, he
was needlessly repeating himself. In that case he would be saying, ‘Let no one pass judgment on you
in regard to a ....ceremonial Sabbath, or in regard to a new moon, or in regard to a ceremonial
Sabbath,’ a statement neither logical nor likely.” Ministry, May, 1997, p. 15
7. Sorry, but Paul rightly said that they ARE (not were) shadows of things to come. He wrote this book
about 33 years after the crucifixion and he was speaking in the present future tense, not past tense. The
feast days, new moons and Sabbaths point to some yet future fulfillment.
Mind you, these 8 (EIGHT) tragic errors, assumptions and oversights that Adventism has made with
Colossians 2 are completely UNforced. All they had to do was admit the truth about the law in Galatians
4, and none of this would have happened. Now, they have deservedly opened themselves up to ridicule
from every quarter. It might actually be funny if it weren’t so utterly, utterly sad.
Please permit me to show you the marriage between the CORRECT interpretation of the law in
Galatians 4 and Righteousness by Faith.
I have shown you the evidence proving that the law in Galatians 4 is not the Mosaic law or statutes; Paul
was rebuking the observation of pagan holidays, etc. I have shown you the genuine Righteousness by
Faith in Scripture. Hopefully, after learning that the Father’s appointed times have not been nailed to the
cross you will become interested in discovering the feasts for yourself, because their observation is the very
definition of Righteousness by Faith including the reward for the righteousness.
Keeping the feasts enables us to participate in the plan of salvation from beginning to end. It is like a
dress rehearsal, something done every year so that no child of the King can EVER claim to be ignorant of
Yah’s plan of redemption, meaning every participant learns how to practice Righteousness by Faith.
1. Passover represents the first step. We are instructed to do something that is against our nature--to
obey. What would have happened if Israel had NOT put the blood on the doorposts that night?
Passover represents the initial upside for obedience. Without any merit whatsoever, the Father
releases His children from bondage for a simple introductory act of obedience, our first act of
Righteousness (lawful right doing) by Faith. His sheep hear His voice. Those who respond (putting
the blood on the doorpost) are accorded freedom—freedom from the bondage of sin—even if they
don’t yet know what they need saved from.
2. Unleavened Bread (where we put away the leaven—which represents sin and hypocrisy—for a week)
reveals what we are inclined to do after we have been delivered from bondage. Without earning the
Father’s grace, He removed a yoke of bondage, an act designed to instill penitence in His children,
where we recognize our filthy, sinful condition and want to get rid of the leaven. At this point we
stand justified before YHVH and our restoration has begun. As we succeed in displacing sin, actually
overcoming, we begin to display the fruit of the Spirit, Galatians 5:22-23 In this second step in our
walk by Faith (putting away win), we ultimately learn to overcome all our hatred, discontentedness,
sadness, impatience, mean spiritedness, wickedness, unbelief, arrogance, and intemperance.
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3. Feast of Weeks (aka Pentecost) represents the indwelling of the Spirit of Yah, the penultimate
reward for overcomers. If you are not first displaying the fruit of the Spirit (the result of putting away
sin) revealed in Galatians 5:22-23, do you think you will receive the gifts of the Spirit in I Corinthians
12:4-11? You have probably never contemplated this before because you have been taught that you
cannot overcome sin. If so, then how can anyone ever receive the gifts of the Spirit spoken of by
Paul? Do you honestly believe that the Father is going to permit you to heal or work miracles in His
Name, to interpret tongues or discern spirits if you still posses hatred, anger, impatience, arrogance or
intemperance in your heart? If you do not display the fruit of the Spirit, you will never receive the gifts
of the Spirit. First you will have a Passover and Unleavened Bread experience, then a Pentecost
experience. This is the order of calendar events. You cannot be filled with the Spirit (as were the
Patriarchs or those in the upper room) unless you have had an Unleavened Bread (overcoming)
experience—when a humble and contrite heart approaches the Father and says, “You saved me when
I was a wretch. In return, How can I live for You?”
Faith without works is DEAD. Living without sin is the ultimate gift to YHVH, and YHVH enables
you to succeed at this by writing His law AND statutes on your heart.
4. Feast of Trumpets is the most festive of all the feasts, but it also represents the warning that
Judgment approaches, get ready. Whether one is nearing the end of life before the return of the Most
High, or still alive at the end of time, this feast represents the same. This is the last call to prepare for
final judgment. It is the first three feasts (above) that teach us Righteousness by Faith. The rest
(below) is the reward for the faithful…
5. Day of Atonement represents judgment, including the Final Judgment. Everyone will receive his/her
day in court. At a point no one yet knows, final judgment will commence. We are all weighed in the
balances and.....
6. Feast of Tabernacles represents the harvest of two distinct classes, those who are weighed in the
balances and found wanting (tares, bundled to be thrown into the fire) and those found not wanting,
(wheat, gathered into His storehouse). This feast is also called the Feast of Final Harvest indicating its
apocalyptic and prophetic importance.
Since the feasts are a “dress rehearsal” for the plan of redemption, something we can appreciate with our
eyes, ears, nose, mouth and hands, does it not make sense to observe them now? How we get from “dirty
rotten sinner” to being called a righteous child of the King is all played out in the annual feasts. Would
you cheat yourself of this experience because some ignorant preacher or apostate denomination has told
you they were all nailed to the cross? Come now, let us reason together.
Adventists could have been practicing genuine Righteousness by Faith, but they rebelled against YHVH in
1888, and the denomination has yet to return, still wandering in the wilderness. Had they accepted that the
statutes were still binding and that the law spoken of in Galatians 4 was the ordinances of the pagan
holidays, Adventism would have shortly discovered that the Father has other Sabbaths He commanded to
be observed. And if Adventism had started to observe the Feasts of Yah, they would have shortly
discovered that Righteousness by Faith has nothing to do with claiming someone else’s righteousness for
yourself (as we’ve been taught), it is about YOU overcoming sin, being spotless, blameless, without shame.
If iniquity be in thine hand, put it far away, and let not wickedness dwell in thy tabernacles.
For then shalt thou lift up thy face without spot; yea, thou shalt be stedfast, and shalt not fear: Job
11:14-15
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That He might present it to Himself a glorious [assembly], not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such
thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. Ephesians 5:27
Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of Yah, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be
dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth
righteousness.
Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of Him in
peace, without spot, and blameless. II Peter 3:12-14
The evangelical version of righteousness by faith is powerless, making believers weak, not teaching them
to stand on principle, rather to rely upon the righteousness of another. Scripture teaches that NO ONE
can die for the sins of another. Righteousness cannot be imputed, it must be attained. Deuteronomy
24:16, Jeremiah 31:29-30 and Ezekiel 18:4, and 18:20 prove that no man can die for the sins of another.
Each sinner will be punished for his own sins and the righteous rewarded for their own work (obedience).
You DO know that righteousness is rewarded, right? Our “righteousness” is our right-doing, our “works
of obedience” to the law of YHVH, against such there is no law. Everyone who faces the Father in
judgment will be rewarded based on his/her own works of (obedience to) the law. Psalm 19:7-11, 58:11,
91:8, Proverbs 11:18, 24:12-20, Isaiah 3:11, 40:10, 62:11, Ezekiel 14:23, 18:30, 33:20, Hosea 4:9,
Matthew 16:27 (which is a rough quote of Job 34:11 or Psalm 62:12), Romans 2:5-6, II Corinthians 5:10,
II Timothy 4:14, Hebrews 2:2, Revelation 20:12, 22:12 (which is a rough quote of Isaiah 40:10).
“If it is so that in the heavenly courts a record is kept of our works and of our words, how important it is
that we take heed to our ways. Every character will be tested by the standard of God’s holy law. The great
God of Heaven, our supreme Ruler, has rules, statutes, and laws. These laws govern not only the
intelligences of Heaven, but they govern every member of the human family.” Ellen White, Signs of the
Times, 9-8-1887 If I am to be tested by His standard, then I must live by His standard.
“I saw that all will be rewarded as their works shall be. Those who shun responsibility will meet with loss
in the end.” Testimonies, Vol. 1, p. 271
“But every man’s work is to be tested, and brought into judgment, and he be rewarded as his works have
been.” Testimonies, Vol. 2, p. 331
“Our good works alone will not save any of us, but we cannot be saved without good works.”
Testimonies, Vol. 4, p. 228
If you read the passages above, it is really quite clear. You are judged on your OWN merit or works, not
on someone else’s effort on your behalf. If you doubt this, please read Deuteronomy 24:16, Ezekiel
18:2-4, 20, II Kings 14:6, and Jeremiah 31:29-30. Please do not misunderstand. I’m not saying that we
can earn our way into YHVH’s Kingdom, I’m saying that our works (Righteousness by Faith) prove to the
world that we ARE saved. A single unforgiven sin will override all our former righteousness (works of
right-doing), likewise if we turn from our righteousness. See Ezekiel 3:17-20, 18:20-32, 33:11-20.
I know that you have also been taught (by your well-meaning but ignorant preachers and denominations)
that “Jesus” is your mediator. In that case, you may be shocked if I showed you that Scripture says there
IS NO mediator between us and the Father (YHVH)…
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For He [YHVH] is not a man, as I am, that I should answer Him, and we should come together in
judgment.
Neither is there any daysman betwixt us, that might lay his hand upon us both. Job 9:32-33
If you have a marginal reference, it says that a daysman is an umpire. If there is a mediator, guess who is
in control? The mediator. A boxing referee and a baseball umpire are perfect examples of a mediator.
There are two persons or teams that are at odds and the mediator is the keeper of the debate. A mediator
stands between the antagonists if things get ugly and keeps them headed toward a final judgment (decision
who wins). If I am sitting before YHVH in judgment and Jesus/Yeshua is mediating, then Yeshua (as
mediator) would be in control. That will never happen. The Father is in total control. YHVH is either in
control of everything or He is in control of nothing at all.
The priest was not a mediator. He was a Levite. It was his job to minister before the Father for the
people. This was his inheritance; it was his job. The priests were human, and they were sinners. They had
to take care of their own sin before appearing before YHVH to minister before Him on behalf of others.
The priests were not the ones who decided whether a man’s sins were forgiven or not. The priests were
not in the position to override the Father (“I’m sorry YHVH, but I think this guy deserves another chance,
and since I’m the mediator, my vote breaks the tie. I vote for the defendant--Not guilty!”)
This is the position you have given the priest, as well as the High Priest. Are you comfortable with this?
The priests simply carried out a task in the sanctuary that the common man was not permitted to do-symbolically carry the sins of the nation from one location to another for judgment. The Priest was NOT
a mediator between Yah and man in any sense of the word, regardless of what you have been taught.
Here are some texts that prove that righteous men of old went straight to the Father without a mediator.
Psalm 17:3, 25:7-18, 79:9, 80:19, Malachi 3:16-17, Micah 7:9, 7:18, Isaiah 51:22, Jeremiah 33:7-9, et al.
If there was no need for a mediator before the NT, why is there a need for one now? If they had or
needed a mediator in the OT, please find an example for me in the law (Torah) or the testimony (of the
prophets). When you cannot find one, please read and apply Isaiah 8:20 and Amos 3:7.
“Says the Scripture, ‘Forever, O Lord, Thy word is settled in heaven.’ ‘All His commandments are sure.
They stand fast forever and ever.’ Psalms 119:89; 111:7, 8. The sacred statutes which Satan has hated and
sought to destroy, will be honored throughout a sinless universe.” Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 342
… “If those who claimed to have a living experience in the things of God had done their appointed work
as the Lord ordained, the whole world would have been warned ere [before] this….” Review and Herald,
10-6-1896 There’s that not-so-silly concept of “works” again.
After 1888 on two other occasions, Testimonies, Vol. 6, p. 449 (circa 1900) and Testimonies, Vol. 9, p.
29 (circa 1909), Ellen White said that the Father could have returned “ere this”. In order for the Father to
return though, He had to have a people following Him in all His precepts. Sister White VERY clearly
spelled out our fate. If we did not move forward, we were doomed to wander in the wilderness.
“If it is so that in the heavenly courts a record is kept of our works and of our words, how important it is
that we take heed to our ways. Every character will be tested by the standard of God’s holy law. The great
God of Heaven, our supreme Ruler, has rules, statutes, and laws. These laws govern not only the
intelligences of Heaven, but they govern every member of the human family.” Signs of the Times, 9-81887 If I am to be tested by His standard and pass, then I must live by His standard.
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“‘A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony
heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause
you to walk in my statutes.’ This is the descent of the Holy Spirit, sent from God to do its office work.
The house of Israel is to be imbued with the Holy Spirit, and baptized with the grace of salvation.”
Review & Herald, 10-13-1904
We all want that heart of flesh don’t we? However, that heart of flesh is given by the power of the SetApart Spirit which will cause us to walk in YHVH’s statutes. This statement is true, so the statutes are
binding, and important for us today, because…
“In the time of the end every divine institution is to be restored.” Prophets and Kings, p. 678
Lead, follow or get out of the way. The truth is going through to the end, not the Adventist Church which
ceased to follow YHVH in 1888 and has YET to return to the light Yah was then poised to give them.
Respectfully submitted,
Troy Miller
www.CreationCalendar.com
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